I love my XL. There are a couple of little quirks I would like to work out with it. My rangefinder seems to be spot on except for extreme close up work. Is this normal? What are some work workarounds (other than the obvious ground glass attachment).

I have replaced my roll film back due to light leaks and over all mechanical crappyness. I now have a 120 and a 220 RB67 back. It works fine except for film flatness can be an issue when I use a fast f stop setting. I understand that this would be an issue with the film back not the camera itself, and I probably should be asking back issues on the RB67 group.

My rangefinder seems to be spot on except for extreme close up work. Is this normal?

Yes. Ground glass focusing is best and easiest.

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I have replaced my roll film back due to light leaks and over all mechanical crappyness

What make/model? It probably needs a CLA.

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It works fine except for film flatness can be an issue when I use a fast f stop setting.

Newer films have thinner base materials than older films. Current Kodak 120 films are .004 (4 mil) and Ilford 120 films .0039 (3.9 mil) base. Start with tack gluing a piece of black card stock to the pressure plate, testing, adding a second if needed, switching to a different material if desired. Use a glue that can be removed easily without harsh chemicals._________________The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.

The back is broken now (the spring return on the lever is not working). Also compared to the RB67 backs I have purchased the over all quality is better with the RB backs. The frame spacing is better too. I was having light leaks with the R10 Singer/Graflex. I was thinking maybe the drag tension on the supply reel could be adjusted of something and make the film flatter.

Is it normal for the rangefinder to be off at close distances and fast apertures? If so, I might need to look at a different system because I like the shallow DOF and close ups for people photography. Is the Mamiya analog of the Graflex XL better than the XL? They look very similar. I might just get an RB67 for people shots, and use the XL for landscape where the critical focus is not such a big deal.

Yea, the RB is a beast. That is why I am excited about the XL, but it won't be as useful for people without a REALLY accurate finder. Most of my cameras are SLR's I only have a couple of RFs. The little 35mm Canonnete that I have is pretty good, but it is easy to get a 40mm focal length correctly focused. However, the good thing is that I am a rather husky guy, and I have shot an RB67 hand held before. It is doable.